She had polio at an early age, as I did. My own memories of childhood also were fuzzy until I was about 12.

I thought my failure to have memories of my early years was something specific to me and my experiences. I know differently now and feel better for it.

Right after this validation, I began to read The Healing Art of Storytelling. The book has enhanced my memories of earlier years.

The book's title was intriguing to me because I also write fiction, and I saw this as an extension of what I want to do in my other writing. I was pleased to find that it is not so much about fiction as it is about finding yourself through stories you create from your life or your imagination.

There are exercises in the book that led me to find some new things I thought I had forgotten. A memory I thought was unlikely, because it was of my first hospitalization as a 3 1/2 -year-old patient, may be closer to the truth than I thought possible.

The guidance in the book allows and encourages the act of turning a memory into a story. It also gives direction in how to learn and grow from your experiences through storytelling.

''I started telling stories in schools, in psychiatric facilities, hospices, businesses and at libraries,'' Stone said. ''Storytelling can be a management tool used as a vehicle for change, and to reinforce cultural mores. We can suspend belief and the rules for the time of a story.''

Oral storytelling was common before writing. Family memories were passed from one generation to another through stories. Histories were kept this way, and remembering ancestors and what they brought to the family or tribe were enhanced and built on for the future.

When my daughter was young, I told her what I could remember about my childhood, and she always asked for more. She now tells my grandchildren about things our family did. My memories are being kept by her children.

The retelling of your life stories, according to Stone, can help with healing, too. It can aid in forgiving yourself and others, help to fill in those memory gaps, as I found, take care of unfinished business, and with each retelling build a sense of self-esteem that a disabled individual may find beneficial.

Another part of storytelling is listening. This can lead to many forgotten stories or events in your own life as you hear others' stories. One thing I've found as a disabled person is there are few nondisabled people who want to hear about my experiences with disability. It makes some of them feel uncomfortable.

However, when I meet with those who have similar experiences, the sharing of those experiences helps. Then I don't feel so alone.

Perhaps by listening to each other ''storying'' our experiences as disabled people, we will learn to come together in strength. I believe The Healing Art of Storytelling gives good guidelines for sharing and becoming stronger.